Dollywood's New NightFlight Expedition Adjusts Daily Operating Schedule

Dollywood's newest and most technologically advanced attraction is seeing some operational changes literally days after it opened.

What's Happening:

• Dollywood, the award-winning theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has recently opened their highly-anticipated and innovative new attraction, NightFlight Expedition.
• The first attraction experience of its kind in the world, NightFlight Expedition combines four unique features into one groundbreaking thrill ride sure to delight guests of all ages.
• The world’s first indoor family hybrid coaster, flight theater, and whitewater river raft ride, NightFlight Expedition takes Dollywood guests on an unforgettable journey through the Smoky Mountains to search for bioluminescence in the nation’s most-visited national park.
• During the 5 1/2-minute experience, guests soar on a nighttime flight over the scenic Smokies, enjoy a thrilling whitewater rafting excursion through more than 500,000 gallons of surging water, traverse a mountain ridge on a roller coaster, and navigate a mysterious shimmering lake by boat.
• In the story of the attraction, guests set out on their expedition to find Secret Lake with the help of twin scientists, Cora and Jasper Oakley, who just happen to be the niece and nephew of Wildwood Grove’s resident wilderness explorer, Ned Oakley. The twins, who work out of a hangar at Hidden Hollow Aviation, have invented the Bioluminator, a device designed to detect and amplify bioluminescence, the biochemical emission of light by living organisms. Cora and Jasper mount the device onto their family’s one-of-a-kind amphibious aircraft to illuminate the Wildwood Tree’s glowing roots and follow them to Secret Lake.
• Announced last year, the groundbreaking new attraction was slated to open earlier this year. However, the general time frame in which it was to open ("Spring 2026") nearly came and went with radio silence - save for a last minute reveal that the attraction's opening would be delayed.
• The attraction eventually opened earlier this month, though social media posts have met that opening with mixed commentary - citing closures for technical difficulties and other operational issues.
• Now, as Dollywood begins to wind down their 2026 season, they have made an operational adjustment to the new attraction.
• Starting today, August 24, 2026, NightFlight Expedition will operate on a limited schedule:
  • Monday/Wednesday/Friday - 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  • Saturday/Sunday - 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• The whole park is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays as we get into the fall hours at Dollywood.
• The operational hours are slated to remain this way until September 6, but is subject to change.
• For more information about the new attraction, be sure to check out our NightFlight Expedition landing, and be sure to check out what we thought of the attraction in our NightFlight Expedition review.